Terms of Engagement
by LadieLazarus
Summary: Draco realizes something.


Title: Terms of Engagement

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: Draco/Astoria

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Draco Malfoy realizes something.

By the time Draco arrived at the Greengrass Estate, he thought that his heart would beat clear out of his chest. He wondered if there would ever be a time that this oppressive structure didn't cause this sort of reaction.

He pulled on the ancient bell chord. It was a deep green braid of fabric, around the same circumference as one of the Whomping Willow's branches. A house elf opened the door, and within minutes, he was escorted to the parlor where Astoria was drinking tea.

His bride-to-be may have appeared nonchalant, if it weren't for the slight vibrations of the china where her shaking hand was holding it. Draco felt anxiety begin to creep into his gut, spreading throughout his limbs with incredible speed.

She smiled warmly, though, and the tension faded as soon as it began. All was more than well, it wold appear.

"Draco." She gestured to the settee next to her, and he took his seat calmly. He captured her left hand, placing a kiss on the smooth skin of her knuckles, just behind her engagement ring.

"Astoria, darling." He was still fairly elated to be allowed to address her this way, and to be able to touch her, kiss her hand, and tuck a stray ringlet behind her ear as it fell forward to graze her pale cheek. She blushed prettily and dropped her gaze back to the tea tray.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked. She gestured toward the elaborate spread laid out upon the silver surface. He nodded.

"Please."

After she'd prepared a cup, to his taste, he noticed with a small smile, she handed it to him and sat back a bit further on the settee. He could sense her tension returning as she finished with her minute task, and he itched to do whatever was necessary to end her distress.

"I am very surprised to see you today." Astoria twisted her hands in a slightly nervous manner. "Not that it's a bad thing," she added quickly. Her head snapped up, and she met his eyes again. "I am always truly happy to see you."

"I know that, my love." He nodded, taking one of her hands in his so that she'd stop pulling at her fingers like that. He hated thinking that he was the thing making her that nervous. "How are your parents and sister finding Italy?"

"Mother is happy. She loves Italy." Astoria smiled genuinely. "Father is happy anytime Mother isn't criticizing him, and Daphne is miserable anywhere that she is."

"Yes. I can attest to the certainty of that. I remember her from school well enough." Draco made a face and Astoria giggled a little. It made him feel better than he could say to have been the cause of some relief for a change. It was sure to be short-lived, though.

After his discussion with Blaise, he knew that his schoolmate had to be correct. She was probably terrified that he either had a mistress or he just wasn't interested. Either theory was laughable, as far as Draco was concerned, and as for not being interested, nothing could be further from the truth.

He'd never wanted anything in his overly privileged life as much as he'd wanted Astoria Greengrass. Granted, there hadn't been much thus far that he'd wanted and could not have, but the sentiment stood, nonetheless. And now that they were engaged, he was free to pursue the very thing for which he'd spent all of his free time forcing himself to wait.

What he couldn't figure out was why on Earth this fact had not occurred to him until now.

"So, why have you come by?" Astoria stared at their joined hands, her cheeks colouring again.

"I've realized something." He trailed his thumb over her knuckles, silently marveling at how small her fingers were. She really was the most delicate thing. "I feel that I may have, unwittingly, caused you no small amount of distress."

"You could never." She shook her head, dark, shining ringlets flying in a fetching manner. "Any distress that I've been in has been due to those horrible rumors-"

"Ah. So, you're saying that none of your distress has anything to do with the fact that I..." He paused. He knew that he should continue, but he wasn't sure how. It was probably best, he decided, to just bring it up. "The fact that I have not even suggested that we take the slightest advantage of the... opportunities that our engagement affords us."

Her mouth dropped open slightly and she attempted to start speaking several times before any actual words were formed.

"I... I cannot deny that that has been a definite contributing factor," she finally finished, looking in the opposite direction.

"I apologize, darling. I never meant to make you upset. At all. For any reason whatsoever. That's why I hadn't brought it up before now." He moved closer to her on the uncomfortable furniture and she turned her head again to judge his proximity. He thought, for what seemed like the billionth time, that he could never get tired of seeing her eyes. He mentally kicked himself, yet again, for nearly dooming this entire arrangement through his own oversight.

"Well, there was nothing to discuss before, really." She looked mortified, but didn't look away again. "Our situation did not allow for it."

"Quite correct. However, the moment that I put that ring on your hand, our situation changed, didn't it?"

"Yes. I suppose that it did." She nodded carefully, practically holding her breath.

"And, due to a terrible oversight on my part, I neglected to mention that I was even aware of the change of... acceptable behaviors."

"Oversight?" Astoria sighed slightly, and Draco thought she looked immensely relieved. "You mean that you don't... I mean to say, I was so worried that you might..." She trailed off, once again inspecting her fingernails.

"I assure you, whatever you were thinking, it was incorrect." Draco smiled, and was pleased to see her mirror it back.

"Oh." This time there was no mistaking the relief. Suddenly, she blushed in earnest. "So, you _do_ want..." She stopped short of a sentence once again, and seemed utterly horrified with herself.

"I do." He nodded, growing tired of the pretexts and subtleties. One of the things that had first drawn him to Astoria had been her frankness, and it irritated him that there was a subject on which they couldn't be frank. "I assure you that I am very interested."

She blushed even harder, if possible, and Draco smiled fondly at her. "That is, of course, if you are. I understand, especially after all the rumors and everything, if you wanted to hold off."

"But you don't." She offered feebly, still looking at the floor.

"Well, to be honest, no. I don't. But, I'd certainly be willing to for a woman of your calibre."

She looked up, then, and a smile graced her face, though the deep flush remained.

"I... I don't think I want to, either."

He felt his face nearly break in half with the force of the smile that broke out on it.


End file.
